APTN National News
The time was 1884 in a small settlement in the North-West at the parish of St. Antoine du Padaue in Batoche.
At the time there was great excitement on the completion of the church. Father Julien Moulin wanted a bell to sound in the small bell tower, so the Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin of the diocese of St. Albert purchased a few bells for his missions in the North-West. Oblate records describe the Bell of Batoche as a small silver bell weighing about 20 lbs. It was purchased for the sum of $25.
It was customary to “baptize” the church bells, so Bishop Grandin on September 2, 1884 baptized the small bell “Marie-Antoinette.” Marie-Antoinette’s god-parents were Xavier Letendre dit Batoche and his sister Marie Letendre-Champagne. The honour bestowed on this family was because Xavier had founded the community.
It’s interesting to note that the bell reportedly bears an inscription “Vital-Justin Grandin, Eveque de St. Albert” along with the bishop’s coat of arms. The date of the blessing should also be there as it was customary at the time.
During the North-West Rebellion, at the Battle of Batoche on May 12, 1885, the Metis and their allies were defeated by the Canadian militia. The Bell of Batoche along with numerous other items from the church, were stolen by Canadian soldiers. The bell was displayed as a war prize by two soldiers from Millbrook, Ont. at the Royal Canadian Legion there until is disappearance in 1991.
– Courtesy of the Metis Culture and Heritage Resource Centre.
